Australian Senate Considers Landmark Social Media Ban for Under-16s Amid Industry Pushback

Australian lawmakers are debating a groundbreaking bill to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, with fines of up to AUD 50 million ($33 million) for non-compliance. Sunita Bose, Managing Director of Digital Industry Group Inc., representing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), argued during a Senate committee hearing that the legislation should be delayed until the government concludes its evaluation of age-verification technologies in June 2025. She warned that rushing the bill could lead to implementation challenges, leaving both children and platforms unprepared.

Bose highlighted the broader implications of such a ban, cautioning that it could isolate children and push them toward less safe online spaces. This sparked criticism from Senator Sarah Henderson, who accused her of prioritizing corporate interests over child safety. Addressing questions about children’s exposure to harmful content, Bose stated that current algorithms already employ filters to reduce risks, though she acknowledged the industry’s shortcomings in enforcing existing age restrictions.

Research by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health revealed that major platforms earned $11 billion in advertising revenue from U.S. users under 18 in 2022. However, Bose admitted she did not know how much revenue these platforms derived from Australian children. The bill, if passed, would make Australia the first country to impose such strict regulations, with the outcome likely to set a global precedent.

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